Just as a second wave of coronavirus infections hit the Golden State hard last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom disbanded the high-profile economic recovery task force he convened seven months ago to help guide the state through the pandemic.
The group was co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer and made up of more than 100 business, labor, and civic leaders, including former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.
Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger was initially part of the panel but <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-01/disney-bob-iger-resigns-gavin-newsom-economic-task-force-theme-park-closures">reportedly</a> resigned in September over Newsom’s refusal to reopen theme parks.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/11/20/newsom-ends-california-economic-task-force-despite-widespread-pandemic-closures-1337448">According</a> to Politico, Newsom announced that he dissolved the group on Friday after it released “a final report that outlines general principles and findings – but no specific new initiatives to protect California businesses in the pandemic.”
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Gavin Newsom has dissolved California&#39;s economic task force, despite rising Covid-19 case numbers. The group concluded its work with a report outlining general principles and findings—but no new initiatives to protect California businesses in the pandemic. <a href="https://t.co/sKaBxKu99m">https://t.co/sKaBxKu99m</a>
&mdash; POLITICO (@politico) <a href="https://twitter.com/politico/status/1329975352819675142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In an interview with NBC Bay Area, Steyer <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/video/steyer-discusses-covid-19-task-forces-final-report/2404860/">said</a> the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery determined rebuilding efforts should prioritize “a sustainable, clean, green California” and “put the health and safety of Californians first.”
“This was a pandemic that was hurting everybody in California, but it was being disproportionately painful for essential workers, who tend to be lower-income people and people of color,” Steyer said. “Our proposals had to reflect that reality.”
Coincidentally, Steyer’s nonprofit, NextGen, has been described by Politico as “a group dedicated to slowing climate change and addressing income inequality.” Newsom’s chief of staff, Ann O’Leary, was the other co-chair of the economic recovery team. <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/07/24/newsom-economic-task-force-has-star-studded-cast-why-cant-it-solve-the-reopening-1303132">According</a> to Politico, O’Leary had previously worked with Steyer when she was named senior vice president with NextGen in 2011.
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The Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery, that 80 member group he appointed, has filed their report. Their most notable accomplishment it seems is telling people to wear masks and cheerleading for the elimination of gas powered cars. <a href="https://t.co/yq597GYTe4">pic.twitter.com/yq597GYTe4</a>
&mdash; Senator Melissa Melendez (@senatormelendez) <a href="https://twitter.com/senatormelendez/status/1329936940490113027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/11/20/newsom-ends-california-economic-task-force-despite-widespread-pandemic-closures-1337448">reported</a>:
<blockquote>It was not immediately clear why Newsom was shutting down his task force just as California enters a new round of business closures and a first-time curfew to fight a surge in COVID-19 infections statewide. The new restrictions have already prompted complaints from some business owners and community leaders who say it will further damage business recovery, but the governor has pointed to an unprecedented sharp rise in infections, as much as 50 percent the first week of November.
The governor’s office, in a release Friday, said the task force “advised the administration on rebuilding as quickly and safely as possible from the pandemic-induced recession,” and “has helped shape the state’s reopening guidelines,” including spearheading “proposals to address a host of pandemic impacts.”
Among the key findings of the group, according to Newsom’s office, were the need to “pursue inclusive regional strategies,” “continue to support essential workers,” and “expand support and provide flexibility to small businesses.” The task force also backed efforts to “close the digital divide,” “promote telemedicine,” and “incorporate equity and sustainability” into its work.</blockquote>
The task force has faced <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/07/24/newsom-economic-task-force-has-star-studded-cast-why-cant-it-solve-the-reopening-1303132">criticism</a> for being rudderless and lacking transparency for several months. Now, the vast majority of counties in the state have fallen into the most restrictive “purple” reopening tier, slowing economic recovery efforts.
“We had a task to create this blueprint and obviously we’re not through this pandemic, but the formal task has been completed,” Steyer <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/20/tom-steyer-ann-oleary-reflect-on-california-business-recovery.html">told</a> CNBC.
Republican State Assemblymember Kevin Kiley called the committee’s suggestions “an anodyne report,” noting the recommendations “do not include ‘stop arbitrary business closures.’” He said Newsom put Steyer in charge of the project “to reward a major campaign donor.”
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The Tom Steyer Commission has been disbanded, releasing an anodyne report whose recommendations do not include &quot;stop arbitrary business closures.&quot; It appears the main purpose, as with so many Newsom decisions, was simply to reward a major campaign donor.
&mdash; Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinKileyCA/status/1330243014556577792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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“Newsom’s decision to treat our economic recovery as a patronage opportunity tells you a lot about where we are as a state,” Kiley <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinKileyCA/status/1287867679064248320">tweeted</a> in July.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-pulls-emergency-brake-94-of-residents-now-live-in-counties-under-strictest-covid-tier/">RELATED: California Pulls ‘Emergency Brake,’ 94% of Residents Now Live In Counties Under Strictest COVID Tier</a>

Governor Gavin Newsom Holds Coronavirus Briefing

As Second COVID-19 Wave Hits California, Gov. Newsom Disbands Economic Recovery Task Force Led By Billionaire Tom Steyer

California

COVID

Gavin Newsom

Tom Steyer

Far-left billionaire activist Tom Steyer&#8217;s campaign announced on Saturday that the candidate was dropping out of the presidential race after failing again in another Democratic primary.
&#8220;The news came after Mr. Steyer, 62, failed to capitalize on his investment of millions of dollars in South Carolina, where he had pinned the hopes of his campaign,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/us/politics/tom-steyer-drops-out.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur">reported</a>. &#8220;Despite spending more than $175 million on adverting throughout his campaign, Mr. Steyer did not earn any national pledged delegates in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada, making South Carolina something of a make-or-break state for his continued viability.&#8221;
“There’s no question today that this campaign, we were disappointed with where we came out, I think we got one or two delegates from congressional districts, which I thank South Carolina for and the people,” Steyer said. “But I said, ‘if I didn’t see a path to winning, that I would suspend my campaign. And honestly, I can’t see a path where I can win the presidency. So am I going to continue to work on every single one of these issues? Yes, of course I am, because I’ve never stopped. That’s what I’m here for.”
&#8220;And let me say, I kept trying to say this during the campaign, I&#8217;m a huge grass roots person,&#8221; Steyer continued. &#8220;I of course will be supporting, I&#8217;ve said from the beginning, every Democrat is a million times better than Trump. Trump is a disaster and let me this, we&#8217;re in South Carolina, Lindsey Graham is a disaster, he&#8217;s a disaster for the people here.&#8221;
&#8220;And let me say once last thing,&#8221; Steyer concluded, &#8220;When the Lord closes a door, he opens a window. I will find that window and crawl through it with you, I promise you that.&#8221;
Steyer was widely mocked online after he danced and sang along with a rapper on Friday night in an apparent attempt to appeal to his targeted audience.
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When you have to &quot;back that azz up&quot; out of the race after you spend $22.5 million in ad buys and can&#39;t hit 15%<a href="https://t.co/DI06UM3yk5">pic.twitter.com/DI06UM3yk5</a>
&mdash; Mike Hahn (@mikehahn_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikehahn_/status/1233942380593713152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Back that campaign up &#8212; Tom Steyer is dropping out of 2020 race.
&mdash; Ari Melber (@AriMelber) <a href="https://twitter.com/AriMelber/status/1233938907810717696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Others attacked the amount of money that he spent on his hopeless campaign.
&#8220;Tom Steyer spent a quarter of a billion dollars on his campaign and he might end up without a single delegate,&#8221; Josh Jordan wrote. &#8220;Just imagine all of the good he could&#8217;ve done with that money instead of burning it on the ultimate ego trip, which ended with America resoundingly rejecting him. lol.&#8221;
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Tom Steyer spent a quarter of a billion dollars on his campaign and he might end up without a single delegate.
Just imagine all of the good he could&#39;ve done with that money instead of burning it on the ultimate ego trip, which ended with America resoundingly rejecting him.
lol.
&mdash; Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) <a href="https://twitter.com/NumbersMuncher/status/1233943500271575041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-tom-steyer-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">highlighted</a> last year Steyer&#8217;s general stance on political issues:
<blockquote>Perhaps more so than any of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Steyer’s candidacy revolves around one core issue: Environmentalism. He has made global warming prevention, opposition to the oil and natural gas industries, and a concomitant greater government role in investing in alternative energy sources the central tenets of his public activist profile. Steyer has a less prolific track record and history of commentary on other issues, but all available evidences points toward his being an across-the-board, full-spectrum progressive/leftist. For example, his 2020 campaign <a href="https://www.tomsteyer.com/about-tom/">website</a> also touts his work in “promot[ing] social justice and increas[ing] participation in our democracy through voter registration and grassroots organizing.”</blockquote>
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Tom Steyer Campaigns For President In South Carolina

Far-Left Billionaire Activist Tom Steyer Ends Presidential Campaign

2020 Election

Democratic Party

For billionaire Tom Steyer, South Carolina is his last stand.
The hedge-fund mogul doesn&#8217;t have much of a chance there, either, to break into the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But he at least appears on some of the polls in the state. He&#8217;s hovering between 12% and 16% on several of the most recent surveys, trailing former vice president Joe Biden, who&#8217;s in the 30s and 40s, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who&#8217;s in the 20s and 30s.
So, for Steyer, it was time to take out the big guns, show the people what he&#8217;s really got. But the way in which he decided to do that raised quite a few eyebrows.
During a campaign event on the eve of South Carolina&#8217;s primary vote, Steyer joined rapper Juvenile on stage. Steyer, wearing a tartan tie and with his sleeves rolled up, boogied down as Juvenile played his 1999 hit “Back that Azz Up.” Steyer dropped down, bounced that booty and shook his hips as Juvenile sang, &#8220;Back dat thing up.&#8221;
Take a look below.
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You’re welcome. <a href="https://t.co/2eV97qFgUw">pic.twitter.com/2eV97qFgUw</a>
&mdash; Jim Newell (@jim_newell) <a href="https://twitter.com/jim_newell/status/1233576724434227200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;His wife, Kat Taylor, joined him on stage as a back-up dancer and got down too while holding her smartphone,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tom-steyer-back-that-azz-up-dancing">Fox News</a> reported. &#8220;The incredible spectacle that caught fire on social media took place at Allen University, a historically black university, Friday night.&#8221;
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So tonight I saw Tom Steyer hop on stage and dance with Juvenile like a Hot Boy. To say 2020 politics is wild is an understatement. <a href="https://t.co/v43OuFi8Ci">pic.twitter.com/v43OuFi8Ci</a>
&mdash; Chaunte&#39;l Powell (@chauntelpowell) <a href="https://twitter.com/chauntelpowell/status/1233611914686627840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The event was marred with technical problems, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8058323/Steyer-dances-Azz-rapper-Juvenile-South-Carolina-rally.html">Daily Mail</a> reported.
<blockquote>Originally, the special audio treat for Steyer supporters didn&#8217;t go exactly as planned. Juvenile was supposed to play a set before Steyer&#8217;s speech, but the performer balked at the sound quality.
&#8216;Come on sound man, you’re getting worse by the second,&#8217; the rapper complained. &#8216;I think the sound man went to the bar!&#8217; Juvenile then disappeared offstage, with gospel crooner Yolanda Adams soon taking his place.
He promised he would come back when the audio problem got fixed.</blockquote>
Steyer also splashed some cash.  Attendees at the event were treated to a full appetizer spread, complete with mashed potato bar, The Mail reported. Much of the crowd stayed around for three hours to see Juvenile, who gave Steyer his official endorsement when he was surrounded by reporters backstage. &#8220;He&#8217;s been representing my people from day one,&#8221; the rapper told The Mail.
For his part, Steyer mocked his own dancing. &#8220;What I found in South Carolina is not just talent, &#8212; Not just my dancing,&#8221; he joked.
It wasn&#8217;t the first time a Democratic candidate put on display some terrible dancing skills. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, once the front runner for the nomination, boogied on stage back in August, and it wasn&#8217;t pretty.
In her first campaign event in Minnesota, she shook her groove thing to Aretha Franklin’s classic “Respect.” &#8220;It seemed like at first Warren wanted to stick to her signature over-exasperated double-hand wave, but then she realized a woman of the people would have to give the people a few moves to the beat. There were some fist pumps, what appeared to be a half-slide, a little bit of throwing hands in the air. It’s the perfect awkward-mom moment we all know and love,&#8221; <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-elizabeth-warren-goes-full-elaine-at-rally-with-an-awkward-dance-to-aretha-franklins-respect/">Mediaite</a> reported.
You can watch her <a href="https://grabien.com/story.php?id=248015">dance here</a>.
But even better, her dance drew comparisons to Elaine from &#8220;Seinfeld,&#8221; a notoriously bad dancer.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Elaine Benis Dances from Seinfeld" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HQu_NLRvULM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
UPDATE: Steyer dropped out of the race after coming in a distant third place in the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

Tom Steyer Dances To ‘Back That Azz Up’ In Excruciating (But Hilarious) Video

Billionaire Tom Steyer is currently in second-to-last place in the 2020 Democratic primary, but on Monday night he made a proposal he must think will help his campaign: Essentially a government takeover of the car and energy sectors.
During a televised townhall event hosted by CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Steyer suggested he will take an authoritarian approach to climate change if he’s elected president.
“I am the only person running for president who will say that climate is his or her number one priority. The only one. Go ask them. The only one,” Steyer told the CNN audience. “And I have said that I will declare a state of emergency on climate on the first day of my presidency and I will use the Executive emergency powers of the presidency to tell companies how they can generate electricity, what kind of cars they can build and on what schedule, what kind of buildings we’re gonna have, how we’re gonna use our public lands, how the government – which is the biggest buyer of fossil fuels in the world – is gonna move to clean energy.”
Cuomo actually pushed back, saying Steyer had said previously he didn’t want the government running everything but was now saying something different when it comes to climate. He asked Steyer how the billionaire “reconciled” those two points.
“What I’m talking about is the government setting the rules of the road for corporations,” Steyer responded. “I don’t want to buy the car company, I’m not talking about taking over the electricity system, I’m talking about saying ‘These are the rules that serve the American people.’ That’s what the government does, Chris. We represent the American people’s interests without any compromise, without any conflict, and that’s what I’m doing here. We have to deal with this on a crisis basis.”
That’s not really different, given his first statement about how precisely he would be micromanaging these companies. Having the government set the rules of the road down to telling companies exactly what they can do would require extensive new regulations and completely reinvent the American economy, which Steyer seems to be fine with.
He went on to say that climate change isn’t necessarily a science issue, but an environmental-justice issue.
“The reasons that I’ve been successful in climate, is because I start with environmental justice. You want to deal with climate? People think it is a science issue. It’s a human issue with a huge racial overtone. The places in this country where people can’t breathe without getting asthma, can’t drink the water are black and brown communities,” Steyer said.
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SC voter says she is ‘terrified” of climate change.
STEYER: “I will use the Executive emergency powers of the presidency to tell companies how they can generate electricity, what kind of cars they can build, what kind of buildings we’re gonna have&#8230;”
<a href="https://t.co/jqUTTfZVnw">pic.twitter.com/jqUTTfZVnw</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1232167088221032449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Further, Steyer echoed Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/full-transcript-ninth-democratic-debate-las-vegas-n1139546">fantasy green jobs</a> claim from the ninth Democrat debate earlier this month.
“This is a huge boon to the United States. We need to rebuild this country in a climate-smart way. This is four-and-a-half million good-paying union jobs everywhere,” Steyer said on Monday. “So, when people say, ‘oh, we can’t afford to do it,’ we will be better paid, richer, we’ll grow faster, at the same time that we build millions of affordable housing units because we need to do that, rebuild roads and bridges, rebuild the grid – this is the biggest job program in American history [and] at good wages.”
As a reminder, Warren claimed at the debate in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 19 that “There&#8217;s an upcoming $27 trillion market worldwide for green. And much of what is needed has not yet been invented.” She then claimed that would translate to “a million new manufacturing jobs.”

Authoritarian Left: Tom Steyer Says As President He Will Tell Companies What Cars They Can Build And How They Can Generate Electricity

Climate Change

Democrat presidential candidate Tom Steyer unloaded on socialist Bernie Sanders on Monday during an CNN town hall event over Sanders&#8217; extremist ideology and for his praise of murderous communist dictators and regimes.
&#8220;I don’t think a government takeover of major parts of the American economy is a good idea,&#8221; Steyer said of Sanders&#8217; socialist policies. &#8220;I don’t think it’s good for working people. I don’t think it’s good for families. I know that unchecked capitalism has failed. But the solution is not for the government to take over big parts of the economy.&#8221;
&#8220;Look, we need a vibrant, competitive, dynamic private sector,&#8221; Steyer continued. &#8220;That’s the goose that lays the golden egg. So we can’t kill that. We need to have a government that works for the people that writes rules so that corporations have to act in a way that helps us. But let’s get over the idea that somehow the government taking over major parts of the economy is a good idea. It’s never worked in the past and it&#8217;s not going to work for us now.&#8221;
Later, CNN&#8217;s Chris Cuomo pressed Steyer about Sanders&#8217; recent comments praising communist China and murderous communist dictator Fidel Castro.
&#8220;I don’t think it’s appropriate to look at a dictator in Cuba who’s been there for 60 years, who has really done a terrible job for the Cuban people, who’s an autocrat who’s never allowed dissent or elections and who has done exactly — he’s had the government own the economy and people are hungry and he’s been a cruel controller of the country,&#8221; Steyer responded. &#8220;I don’t think it’s appropriate to be giving him a lot of compliments.&#8221;
&#8220;The United States is supposed to be the value-driven leader of the world. We stand for freedom,&#8221; Steyer continued. &#8220;We stand for democracy and justice and equality. And I think when we go out to the world we should be standing up for the things that we believe in. That’s what the whole idea of the United States is. So I’m never going to be complimenting people, unelected leaders, of countries who completely control without any form of democracy, justice or equality. No, I think it’s inappropriate, Chris, I really do.&#8221;
&#8220;If you’re asking me, will I ever compliment a regime that’s unelected, that rules without the rule of law, that is — that dominates its country without the kind of democracy and — that we have?&#8221; Steyer concluded. &#8220;No, I’m never going to compliment that system. I don’t approve of it. I don’t think it works. I think we stand up for who we are around the country because we’re trying to be the best value driven country in the world. That’s who we are. We should be proud of it and we should never give in to somebody else’s view.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Tom Steyer throws down, goes after Bernie Sanders for praising dictator Fidel Castro and constantly attacking our capitalist system. <a href="https://t.co/ijrUHDUAYh">pic.twitter.com/ijrUHDUAYh</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1232163645242527744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Democratic Presidential Candidates Attend MLK Rally At South Carolina Capitol Dome

Tom Steyer Unloads On Bernie Sanders: Socialism ‘Never Worked,’ ‘We Stand For Freedom’

Bernie Sanders

President Trump easily won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, as incumbents tend to do, but while his victory was predictable, the degree to which he drove voter turnout was another matter.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-campaign-releases-numbers-showing-massive-support-declares-victory-in-new-hampshire">The Daily Wire</a> highlighted, Trump&#8217;s campaign posted a series of updates over the course of the evening showing the president far outpacing previous incumbents in terms of voter turnout. After the dust settled Wednesday morning, Trump posted a graphic from Fox News presenting some eye-opening numbers.
With 87% reporting, Trump garnered 120,476 votes in New Hampshire. Two of the three previous incumbent presidents who went on to win re-election managed less than half that turnout, and one less than two-thirds the total: President Barack Obama drew 49,080 votes in New Hampshire in 2012; President George W. Bush 53,962 in 2004; and President Bill Clinton 76,797 in 1996.
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<a href="https://t.co/I0eZ9UoIQJ">pic.twitter.com/I0eZ9UoIQJ</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227610766662127616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump&#8217;s post follows a series of updates from Trump Campaign Manager Brad Parscale Tuesday evening.
&#8220;Enthusiasm for [President Trump] is through the roof!&#8221; Parscale tweeted (posts below). &#8220;With approximately, 70% of precincts reporting, President Trump has surpassed the New Hampshire Primary vote total of every incumbent President running for re-election over the last four decades.&#8221;
&#8220;In NH primary tonight, [President Trump] is very likely to beat the vote percentages of the last 3 incumbent presidents who WON re-election. 1996 Bill Clinton 84% 2004 George W. Bush 80% 2012 Barack Obama 82% Trump right now is pushing 86%. This is historic strength!&#8221;
After promoting Parscale&#8217;s posts, Trump offered the left-leaning media the &#8220;big story&#8221; for which they are looking in vain on the Democratic side. &#8220;The Fake News Media is looking hard for the Big Democrat Story, but there is nothing too fabulous,&#8221; Trump wrote. &#8220;Wouldn’t a big story be that I got more New Hampshire Primary Votes than any incumbent president, in either party, in the history of that Great State? Not an insignificant fact!&#8221;
He followed that up with an early morning post Wednesday, declaring, &#8220;Fake News [CNN] and MSDNC have not surprisingly refused to talk about my record setting number of voters in New Hampshire (and in Iowa).&#8221;
While the primary results were streaming in Tuesday, Trump had some fun at his political opponents&#8217; expense, firing off shots at embattled presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tom Steyer, taking a swipe at &#8220;Crazy Bernie&#8221; Sanders (I-VT), and offering a phonetic spelling of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg&#8217;s name for those still trying to figure out how to pronounce it.
&#8220;Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is having a really bad night,&#8221; Trump wrote in one trolling tweet Tuesday evening. &#8220;I think she is sending signals that she wants out. Calling for unity is her way of getting there, going home, and having a &#8216;nice cold beer&#8217; with her husband!&#8221;
&#8220;Impeachment King Steyer (how did that work out?) spent 200 Million Dollars and got less than 1% of the vote in Iowa, and only 3% of the Vote in New Hampshire,&#8221; he wrote in another. &#8220;Could it be that something is just plain missing? Not easy to do what I did, is it?&#8221;
&#8220;Bootedgeedge (Buttigieg) is doing pretty well tonight,&#8221; the president noted later. &#8220;Giving Crazy Bernie a run for his money. Very interesting!&#8221;
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Enthusiasm for <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> is through the roof!
With approximately, 70% of precincts reporting, President Trump has surpassed the New Hampshire Primary vote total of every incumbent President running for re-election over the last four decades.
&mdash; Brad Parscale &#8211; Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) <a href="https://twitter.com/parscale/status/1227431887838289922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In NH primary tonight, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> is very likely to beat the vote percentages of the last 3 incumbent presidents who WON re-election.
1996 Bill Clinton 84% 2004 George W. Bush 80% 2012 Barack Obama 82%
Trump right now is pushing 86%.
This is historic strength! 💪
&mdash; Brad Parscale &#8211; Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) <a href="https://twitter.com/parscale/status/1227444807217426434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Fake News Media is looking hard for the Big Democrat Story, but there is nothing too fabulous. Wouldn’t a big story be that I got more New Hampshire Primary Votes than any incumbent president, in either party, in the history of that Great State? Not an insignificant fact!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227453711540269057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Fake News <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNN</a> and MSDNC have not surprisingly refused to talk about my record setting number of voters in New Hampshire (and in Iowa). That’s why they are poorly rated Fake News! I will win both states in November.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227556935299457024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is having a really bad night. I think she is sending signals that she wants out. Calling for unity is her way of getting there, going home, and having a “nice cold beer” with her husband!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227417402167742466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Impeachment King Steyer (how did that work out?) spent 200 Million Dollars and got less than 1% of the vote in Iowa, and only 3% of the Vote in New Hampshire. Could it be that something is just plain missing? Not easy to do what I did, is it?
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227420618951479297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Bootedgeedge (Buttigieg) is doing pretty well tonight. Giving Crazy Bernie a run for his money. Very interesting!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227432921788801024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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President Trump Delivers Remarks At Dana Incorporated

Trump Posts Eye-Opening NH Graphic, Trolls Democrats For Dismal Night, Helps With Pronouncing Buttigieg

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

George W. Bush

New Hampshire

Following the absolute debacle that was the Democrats&#8217; first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses last week, tonight offers the Democrats a shot at redemption, of sorts, with the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary.
Here is what I&#8217;ll be watching for.
1. How long will we have to wait for results, this time? The first and most obvious question is not even a substantive question, but a procedural one. There is dropping the ball, there is really dropping the ball, there is really, really dropping the ball, and then there is the absolutely catastrophic dumpster fire that was the Iowa Democratic Party&#8217;s performance last week. Deep-dive essays, and perhaps full-length books, will assuredly be written that analyze just how badly the Iowa Democratic Party managed to botch its quadrennial moment in the sun. &#8220;<a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/you-had-one-job">You had one job</a>,&#8221; as the popular meme goes. Alas, we shall see if Iowa manages to keep its first-in-the-nation status, come 2024. Hopefully in New Hampshire tonight, unlike in Iowa, we actually get results before we go to sleep.
2. Will favorite Bernie Sanders pull it off? Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Fidel Castro-praising communist who decided to ditch possible sojourns to the Caribbean or the Pacific islands in order to (literally) honeymoon in the frigid former Soviet Union, demolished Hillary Clinton in the 2016 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary. He is well-positioned to win yet again tonight, <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/nh/new_hampshire_democratic_presidential_primary-6276.html#polls">leading by an average of 7.4% in recent polling</a> and having led the overwhelming majority of Granite State polls conducted over the past month or so. If Sanders indeed does wipe away the field tonight, then he only buttresses his status as the <a href="https://www.predictit.org/markets/detail/3633/Who-will-win-the-2020-Democratic-presidential-nomination">clear favorite</a> for the presidential nomination. All signs currently point toward Sanders pulling it off.
3. Can Pete Buttigieg pull off the upset and start two for two? If you believe the Iowa Democratic Party&#8217;s troubled (to put it mildly) results-reporting process, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg left the Hawkeye State with the highest delegate count. He enters tonight in a clear second place position in New Hampshire, and he is the only person not named Bernie Sanders to outright lead a New Hampshire poll in nearly a month. If Buttigieg pulls off the upset tonight, he likely overtakes Sanders as the slight favorite for the nomination; after all, since the advent of the modern political party presidential nominating contest in 1972, no candidate has won his/her party&#8217;s first two nominating contests (Iowa and New Hampshire) and gone on to lose his/her party&#8217;s presidential nomination.
4. Can neighboring state Massachusetts&#8217; Elizabeth Warren resuscitate her ailing campaign? New Hampshire may be a last stand, of sorts, for the troubled socialist-lite candidate from the neighboring Bay State. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) emerged toward the end of last summer and into early autumn as a frontrunner, but her campaign has all but collapsed and enters tonight&#8217;s battle as a shell of its former self. Warren desperately needs a shot in the arm tonight — at bare minimum, she cannot afford to be outpaced tonight by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
5. Could Joe Biden really get fifth place? Former Vice President Joe Biden is starting to look an awful lot like a (politically) dead man walking. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-leaving-new-hampshire-early-i-think-ill-win-the-nomination">isn&#8217;t even sticking around tonight</a> to watch New Hampshire&#8217;s full results, and polls currently show him duking it out for fourth place. The man who was the frontrunner for most of the past calendar year could easily get fifth place tonight, making his so-called South Carolina &#8220;firewall&#8221; seem less and less like an actual firewall. My best guess? Biden is out by the time South Carolina is over.
&nbsp;
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RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-will-win-democratic-primary-latest-2020-josh-hammer">Who Will Win The Democratic Primary? The Latest On 2020 Presidential Primary Polling.</a>

New Hampshire Democratic debate

HAMMER: What To Watch For During Tonight’s New Hampshire Primary

Amy Klobuchar

Elizabeth Warren

Joe Biden

Pete Buttigieg

Political nerds, rejoice! We here at The Daily Wire have been looking forward to this day for seemingly forever. We have been tracking presidential primary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-will-win-democratic-primary-latest-2020-josh-hammer">polling and analytical trends</a>. We started a weekly election/impeachment-themed newsletter for our subscribers (<a href="http://lp.dailywire.com/getelectionwire/">sign up here!</a>). We prepared <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-joe-biden-stand-issues-heres-everything-josh-hammer">detailed</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-bernie-sanders-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">profiles</a> for all the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-elizabeth-warren-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">leading</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-pete-buttigieg-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">candidates</a> in the Democratic Party&#8217;s 2020 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-andrew-yang-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">presidential</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-michael-bloomberg-stand-on-the-issues-heres-everything-you-need-to-know">primary</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-amy-klobuchar-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">field</a>.
And now we are finally here. The <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2020/02/03/iowa-caucus-election-2020-live-coverage-democratic-candidates-results-photos-video/4618248002/">Iowa caucuses tonight</a> will provide politicos across the country with the first tangible results of this already-chaotic process. We will finally move beyond the realm of mere armchair quarterback punditry and enter the realm of numbers, percentages, and statistics.
Here is what I will personally be watching for tonight.
1. Will Bernie Sanders position himself to win Iowa and New Hampshire back-to-back? The Soviet Union-honeymooning socialist leads by 4% over Joe Biden in the RealClearPolitics statewide <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/ia/iowa_democratic_presidential_caucus-6731.html">polling average</a>, as we enter caucus day. Sanders is now also the <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/nh/new_hampshire_democratic_presidential_primary-6276.html">firm and unequivocal favorite</a> for next week&#8217;s first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary, and all eyes will be attuned tonight to see if he can position himself well to open this primary season by wining the first two states in back-to-back fashion. Since the advent of the modern presidential primary process in 1972, no candidate who has won both Iowa and New Hampshire in back-to-back fashion has gone on to lose his/her party&#8217;s presidential nomination. If Sanders can pull off the feat, then we can bet on the more &#8220;moderate&#8221;/Clintonian forces of the Democratic National Committee establishment entering something closely akin to a state of depression.
2. Can Joe Biden pull it out and re-emerge as the field&#8217;s clear frontrunner? Ever since the unofficial start of the primary process, and certainly since the first Democratic presidential debate last summer, Biden has been viewed (with the perhaps brief exception of a September/October 2019 surge from Elizabeth Warren) as the frontrunner for his party&#8217;s 2020 presidential nomination. It is no longer clear if that is the case — Sanders leads in both Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden&#8217;s South Carolina &#8220;firewall&#8221; seems like an increasingly risky wager (harkening us all back to Rudy Giuliani in Florida in 2008), and election betting market PredictIt now features Sanders as an <a href="https://www.predictit.org/markets/detail/3633/Who-will-win-the-2020-Democratic-presidential-nomination">increasingly clear favorite</a> over Biden. Biden could really use a victory tonight to stanch the bleeding, and anything worse than a runner-up finish to Sanders would surely be viewed as a disaster at Biden campaign headquarters.
3. Will Elizabeth Warren resuscitate her ailing campaign? Warren emerged over the latter parts of the summer and early fall as a frontrunner in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and many pundits accordingly pegged her as the de facto favorite to ultimately secure the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Suffice it to say those predictions have not aged well. Warren&#8217;s campaign has been in something of a prolonged free fall since October, and she enters caucus night in a disappointing fourth place in the RealClearPolitics statewide <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/ia/iowa_democratic_presidential_caucus-6731.html">polling average</a>. A surprising victory is not out of the realm of possibility, but merely beating Biden or Sanders, at this point, would surely be seen as a moral victory for Warren that would buttress her chances in New Hampshire.
4. Will Pete Buttigieg beat one of the &#8220;big three?&#8221; Buttigieg has surpassed Warren in the statewide polling average in Iowa, but in many respects, his national momentum is lagging and it seems that his moment has passed. The former South Bend, Indiana mayor is a native Midwesterner, and over-performing tonight in Iowa is something that Buttigieg likely would need to feel even remotely confident about his languishing chances for the nomination.
5. Can Amy Klobuchar crack the top four? Klobuchar, from Iowa&#8217;s neighboring state Minnesota, has staked much of her long-shot bid on a strong Iowa finish. She consistently over-performs in televised debate formats and is a favorite of her party&#8217;s intellectual chattering class — as perhaps best embodied by her recent co-endorsement from The New York Times&#8217; influential editorial board. If Klobuchar can beat at least Buttigieg or Warren tonight, that will amount to a big victory for her.
&nbsp;
RELATED: <a href="http://lp.dailywire.com/getelectionwire/">Sign up here for Daily Wire Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer’s weekly newsletter on election news, polling data, and analysis: “Election Wire.”</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-will-win-democratic-primary-latest-2020-josh-hammer">Who Will Win The Democratic Primary? The Latest On 2020 Presidential Primary Polling.</a>

Iowa caucuses day

What To Watch For During Tonight’s Iowa Caucuses

Andrew Yang

Iowa

Michael Bloomberg

The CNN-hosted Democratic presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday night is being blasted from all sides as the dullest and most absent of substance of the seven debates held thus far. While left-leaning Deadline couldn&#8217;t bring itself to even attempt to resuscitate what it described as the &#8220;<a href="https://deadline.com/2020/01/democratic-debate-review-iowa-vote-bernie-sanders-donald-trump-elizabeth-warren-pete-buttigieg-joe-biden-cnn-1202830934/">dull night of the living dead</a>,&#8221; Donald Trump danced on the candidates&#8217; graves.
As The New York Times lamented,  the &#8220;fireworks did not really materialize&#8221; Tuesday night as many had anticipated with the stakes so high for the top tier candidates. The only truly notable moments were unfortunate for the Democrats: a CNN moderator making clear which candidate the network believes over the report that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders supposedly told Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren that a woman couldn&#8217;t win in 2020 — a moment that had critics declaring &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/media-malpractice-cnn-blasted-for-question-siding-with-warren-over-bernie">media malpractice</a>” — and Warren&#8217;s viral refusal to shake Sanders&#8217; hand post-debate.
As #<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/neverwarren-trending-after-debate-meltdown-with-bernie-biased-cnn-question">NeverWarren</a> began trending online, Trump took to Twitter to promote some of his favorite trolling responses to the Democrats&#8217; &#8220;dull&#8221; debate and to demonstrate that he can reach across the aisle by expressing agreement with a Democratic candidate (tweets below).
One of Trump&#8217;s first debate-themed posts was a retweet of a &#8220;space alien&#8221; comment from Fox News host Greg Gutfeld. &#8220;If you were a space alien, bouncing between the debate and the Trump rally, you&#8217;d think these are two different species — meek, dull creatures, and a monstrous, domineering behemoth. you&#8217;d know who to fear, and deal accordingly,&#8221; wrote Gutfeld.
Trump followed that by retweeting a &#8220;daily reminder&#8221; about Democrats&#8217; goals from &#8220;Tipping Point&#8221; host Liz Wheeler. &#8220;Your daily reminder that Democrats want to: &#8211; Open borders &#8211; Abolish private health insurance &#8211; Ban your AR-15s &#8211; Give illegal aliens free healthcare &#8211; Raise your taxes &#8211; Abortion without restriction &#8211; Green New Deal &#8211; End school choice,&#8221; wrote Wheeler, adding the hashtag &#8220;<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash" data-query-source="hashtag_click"><s>#</s>DemDebate</a>.&#8221;
The president then promoted a post by Daily Wire podcast host Michael Knowles. &#8220;If the election were held in the 24 hours after this <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemocraticDebate?src=hash" data-query-source="hashtag_click"><s>#</s>DemocraticDebate</a>, Trump would win every single state, including Greenland,&#8221; wrote the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reasons-Vote-Democrats-Comprehensive-Guide/dp/1501180126">a bestselling Democrat-mocking book with no words</a>.
Trump then expressed his agreement with Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, who said in an interview that progressive Democrats are going to destroy the economy within minutes if they&#8217;re given control. &#8220;I agree with him on this, 100%,&#8221; wrote Trump. &#8220;But why would anyone vote Democrat? We are setting all time records with the economy!&#8221;
The president closed out his debate trolling by pointing to a brutal interview with progressive CNN commentator Van Jones, who said his big takeaway from the &#8220;dispiriting&#8221; debate is that he saw &#8220;nothing&#8221; that &#8220;would be able to take Donald Trump out.&#8221;
“I want to say that tonight for me was dispiriting,” Jones <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ouch-van-jones-says-what-every-democrat-fears-about-2020">admitted</a> during CNN&#8217;s post-debate coverage. “Democrats will have to do better than we saw tonight. There was nothing I saw tonight to suggest we’ll be able to take Donald Trump out, and I want to see a Democrat in the White House as soon as possible. There was nothing tonight, if you’re looking at this thing, to say any of these people are prepared for what Donald Trump will do to us. And to see further divisions tonight is very dispiriting.”
Trump&#8217;s tweets and retweets below:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
if you were a space alien, bouncing between the debate and the trump rally, you&#39;d think these are two different species &#8212; meek, dull creatures, and a monstrous, domineering behemoth. you&#39;d know who to fear, and deal accordingly.
&mdash; GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) <a href="https://twitter.com/greggutfeld/status/1217272838882758657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Your daily reminder that Democrats want to:
&#8211; Open borders &#8211; Abolish private health insurance &#8211; Ban your AR-15s &#8211; Give illegal aliens free healthcare &#8211; Raise your taxes &#8211; Abortion without restriction &#8211; Green New Deal &#8211; End school choice<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a>
&mdash; Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) <a href="https://twitter.com/Liz_Wheeler/status/1217279396530159617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If the election were held in the 24 hours after this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemocraticDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemocraticDebate</a>, Trump would win every single state, including Greenland.
&mdash; Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/status/1217294775327440896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I agree with him on this, 100%. But why would anyone vote Democrat? We are setting all time records with the economy! <a href="https://t.co/trTemE8iUz">https://t.co/trTemE8iUz</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1217329023182872576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Van Jones:
“There was nothing I saw tonight that would be able to take Donald Trump out.”<a href="https://t.co/cj8e5JkYqW">pic.twitter.com/cj8e5JkYqW</a>
&mdash; Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1217306794525175812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Alien invasion

Trump Trolls Democrats Over Dismal Debate, Highlights ‘Space Alien’ Comment

Liz Wheeler

Michael Knowles

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) joined the chorus of Democrats railing against &#8220;billionaire donors&#8221; and moneyed influence in elections on Saturday, attacking South Bend mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg over a recent &#8220;wine cave&#8221; fundraiser held in his honor in California&#8217;s wine country.
There&#8217;s just one problem with Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s newfound hatred of the wealthy and elite: like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who also eschews &#8220;billionaire donors,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez has taken money from mega-donors, including Buttigieg&#8217;s competition for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Tom Steyer.
Warren has been after Buttigieg for weeks over his &#8220;big money donors&#8221; and high-priced fundraisers in an effort to curb her own steep polling decline. Buttigieg has been a darling of left-leaning tech magnates, and did, in fact, reap the rewards of a recent fundraiser in Napa Valley, held in a &#8220;wine cave&#8221; event space at a vineyard that sells bottles in the neighborhood of $300.
But what Warren failed to disclose was that she, too, has been the guest of honor at high-priced fundraisers, and that the money she collected from them &#8212; as recently as 2018 &#8212; is now going to fund her presidential campaign, even though she claims she hasn&#8217;t taken a dime from the wealthy.
Ocasio-Cortez is similarly hypocritical, it seems. <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/26/aoc-isnt-talking-about-billionaire-tom-steyer-donating-to-her-campaign/">According to the New York Post</a>, Ocasio-Cortez made the maximum allowable contribution &#8212; $2,700 &#8212; to Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s own campaign in 2018, meaning she, too, is funded by at least one billionaire. Steyer made the donation through his family LLC.
Steyer doesn&#8217;t deny his support for Ocasio-Cortez and his representative told the Post he was happy to give to the &#8220;Green New Deal&#8221; co-author in order to support the freshman Congresswoman&#8217;s commitment to halting global climate change.
&#8220;Tom’s proud to support Congresswoman Ocasio Cortez, a champion for working families in the Bronx and all across our country,&#8221; his spokesperson told the Post. “She’s a leader in the fight to make the wealthy pay their fair share, provide a living wage for all workers, and pass a Green New Deal that combats climate change and helps reinvent the American economy.”
Steyer, of course, is a bit of a walking irony. The billionaire made his money by investing, in part, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-2020-tom-steyer-hedge-fund-billionaire-20190711-story.html">in foreign fossil fuel companies and private prisons</a> through his hedge fund, Farallon Capital &#8212; two things the far-left Ocasio-Cortez has expressed severe opposition to. And when it comes to bankrolling political campaigns, Steyer is, quite literally, second to no one. Steyer, who, himself, rails against &#8220;corporate influence&#8221; and &#8220;billionaires&#8221; has donated <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/business/joseph-vazquez/2019/12/04/tom-steyer-contributed-23987925-liberals-dwarfs-top-15">a staggering $23 million</a> to Democratic campaigns, including his own, in 2019, easily dwarfing the next top 14 political donors (including perennial leftist bogeymen, the Koch brothers).
&#8220;Steyer, a consistent mega-donor to Democrats cycle after cycle, is leading efforts to impeach President Donald Trump and to combat climate change by pumping millions of dollars into races and advertising efforts through his PAC, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00658526&amp;cycle=2018">Need to Impeach</a>, and nonprofit organization NextGen America,&#8221; a<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/tom-steyer-enters-2020presidential-field/">ccording to Open Secrets</a>. &#8220;He leads every other liberal donor, including Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQzO_X4OXi2BsA1wqmd0GwszadDPWFLZhnrXQB5osyf3hmJFLb0OmlJB_daEAq2RZFgrsPyUfZI6AWE/pubhtml">contributing almost $248 million</a> cumulatively to candidates, PACs and other political organizations. Much of that cash goes toward PACs and organizations that spend money independently of candidates, including attack ads on Republicans.&#8221;
Most of that money has gone to two of Steyer&#8217;s own priorities: anti-climate change legislation and impeaching President Donald Trump. If his campaign is also considered, he&#8217;s donated well over $70 million;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/2020-presidential-race/candidate?id=N00044966"> Open Secrets says he&#8217;s self-financed his bid</a> for the presidency to the tune of nearly $50 million (and, technically, that&#8217;s a billionaire trying to influence Federal policy).

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rails About Billionaire Donors, Forgets She Took Cash From Dem Billionaire Tom Steyer

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-kamala-harris-drops-out-of-presidential-race">dropped out</a> of the 2020 presidential race on Tuesday despite being once having exceedingly high hopes to reach the White House.
Those dreams have been dashed now, and some identity politics pushers on the Left have already lamented that the 2020 race is now headed by a bunch of white people.
&#8220;Kamala Harris officially ended her campaign today, which means that all of the candidates who currently qualify for the December Democratic debate are white (Sanders, Warren, Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Steyer). White supremacy is not just a Fox News problem, folks,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenduca/status/1201930900445057024?s=20">tweeted journalist</a> Lauren Duca.
&#8220;Obviously I’m no centrist but it’s downright effed up that smart, compelling, *very* experienced, centrist Democratic candidates of color are floundering while a smart but wildly inexperienced, centrist white mayor of teeny tiny city is surging. Bad look, Democrats,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/sallykohn/status/1201930298482741248?s=20">tweeted LGBT activist</a> Sally Kohn.
&#8220;Kamala Harris’ campaign was historic — a black and South Asian female candidate whose potential seemed sky high early on. Her dropping out means that every candidate that’s qualified so far for the next debate is white: Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer, and Warren,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/mj_lee/status/1201935814197940225?s=20">tweeted CNN correspondent</a> MJ Lee. 
&#8220;Kamala Harris dropping out of the race while only white candidates qualify for the next presidential debate shows that white privilege and white supremacy cut across party lines. It’s not just Trump. We have a racism problem in all of the United States of America, and it sucks,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/eugenegu/status/1201939626199379968?s=20">tweeted SJW activist</a> Dr. Eugene Gu. 
&#8220;I’m not a Kamala Harris fan (Bernie 2020), but it’s quite telling that the only Black woman has dropped out while a host of mediocre white men are still in, wasting our time with their inflated egos,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/RebeccaforWA/status/1201941070776397824?s=20">tweeted congressional candidate</a> Rebecca Parsons. 
Upon announcing her withdrawal from the 2020 race, Harris said the lack of &#8220;financial resources&#8221; motivated the decision.
“I’ve taken stock and looked at this from every angle, and over the last few days have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life,” Harris wrote on <a href="https://medium.com/@KamalaHarris/i-am-suspending-my-campaign-today-6dca8cefb252">Medium</a>. “My campaign for the presidency simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”
“I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign,” continued Harris. “As the campaign has gone, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.”
Indeed, the senator&#8217;s use of the word &#8220;billionaire&#8221; has induced some leftists into blaming her eventual dropout on the Democratic Party donor class, rather than her low polling numbers.
&#8220;The fact that [Gillibrand] and [Harris] both dropped out of the race before the billionaire white guys who bought their way in and are funding their continued stay tells you every damn thing you need to know about our f***ed up political system,&#8221; tweeted <a href="https://twitter.com/DCampoamor/status/1201926161770659841?s=20">Danielle Campoamor of The New York Times</a>. 
&#8220;Two SITTING WOMEN SENATORS, Gillibrand and Harris, were forced out of this race while non-office-holders Bloomberg and Steyer bought their way in. And it&#8217;s not just because they can, but because our broken system continues to allows white, male billionaires like them to do it,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=billionaire&amp;src=typed_query">tweeted</a> Lauren Rankin.
A civil war seems to be brewing within the Democratic Party ranks.

US-VOTE-2020-DEMOCRATS-DEBATE-POLITICS

Democrats Freak After Kamala Harris Drops Out: 2020 Race Now Dominated By Old White Men

Kamala Harris

Billionaire investment banker-turned-radical environmentalist Tom Steyer has managed to raise just enough money, after spending more than $40 million of his own, to qualify for the Democratic debate stage.
Steyer finally reached the threshold for polling, ticking 5% in a recent Quinnipiac national poll of South Carolina voters &#8212; one of the few polls that the Democratic National Committee recognizes for qualifying for the debate stage &#8212; and his campaign announced Tuesday morning that they met the 200,000 individual donor threshold, the other mandated qualifier.
Steyer has blanketed the airwaves in key states, and especially in New Hampshire where, in some places, his commercials play an astounding seventeen times per hour, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/29/tom-steyer-ads-new-hampshire-074223">according to Politico</a>.
&#8220;Steyer has massively outspent other Democratic candidates on social media in an effort to gain traction in polls and ensure he makes the debate stage. But the recoiling of some New Hampshire voters suggests there are limits to the strategy — Michael Bloomberg beware. Indeed, some residents feel like they can&#8217;t touch a piece of technology without seeing his face,&#8221; the Washington, D.C.-based newsmagazine reported about Steyer&#8217;s New Hampshire operation.
It&#8217;s working on someone. Steyer, perhaps the most well-funded presidential candidate in history, has managed to convince nearly a quarter million potential voters to contribute to his operation.
<a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-10-16/california-billionaire-tom-steyer-calling-for-trumps-impeachment-spends-47-million-on-his-presidential-bid">According to the LA Times</a>, Steyer&#8217;s campaign financial disclosures list an astounding $47 million dollars in expenditures, mostly ad purchasing. Steyer technically &#8220;raised&#8221; $49 million but the vast majority of that sum came from his own personal fortune, which is significant, even though he stars in his own commercials, complaining about how billionaires and the elite have a stranglehold on the government and the electoral process.
&#8220;The hedge fund manager turned eco-warrior, who has a fortune worth about $1.6 billion, announced his candidacy in July after saying earlier he was not going to run,&#8221; the LAT reports. &#8220;He has donated $47.6 million to his campaign and raised an additional $2 million, according to the FEC reports.&#8221;
Steyer&#8217;s money is devoted, almost exclusively, to earning himself a spot on the debate stage, &#8220;including $15.6 million on media ad buys, $14.8 million on digital ads and $3.7 million on direct mail, according to the disclosure forms. Hundreds of thousands of dollars more were spent on production costs. Steyer’s spending led several of his rivals to accuse him of trying to buy a spot on the debate stage.&#8221;
It earned him a wide base of support in South Carolina and, apparently, New Hampshire, where he&#8217;s managed to eke out enough popularity to score &#8220;at least 4 percent support in four polls approved by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) or 6 percent in two early state surveys,&#8221; <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/472752-steyer-qualifies-for-december-democratic-debate">per The Hill</a>.
He&#8217;s the seventh Democrat to earn a spot. The others, according to The Hill, are &#8220;former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).&#8221;
Steyer&#8217;s campaign was overjoyed.
&#8220;After terrific performances in the last two debates and a tremendous amount of earned media over the last month, Tom continues his surge in the early state polls which has led to an increased amount of donors over the last few weeks,” they said in a statement. “His message of ending the corporate takeover of our government and bringing democracy back to the American people continues to resonate with voters as they see him as the best candidate to go up against Trump.”

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